Butterflies and Birds
by C3lticmyst
Summary: This is a short fic, set after Tara has died and after Willow has come back from England. Not a great summary, but read and review if you like


The day was warm and bright, the sun shone down from it's zenith above. Butterflies flew jaggedly around the headstones and monuments laid out in neat little rows. Birds sang in the oak and ash trees planted randomly in between sections of the cemetery. Somewhere in the distance of the vast graveyard a tree-cutter's chainsaw buzzed happily, not disturbing the harmony of the place. It seemed almost common place here.  
  
The small figure of a girl walked slowly and solemnly through the gates of the holy ground. Held tightly in her hand was a bunch of flowers, the grip on the stems made it seem as if this was the only thing that could make her feet move forward. As it was her feet scrapped along the stone path, interrupting the peace. She noticed this and looked almost ashamed and she picked up her feet. She took a deep breath and walked on more, searching along the headstones for a certain name.  
  
After a couple of minutes of her searching the tree cutter's saw cut off. She didn't notice the man walking towards her until he was standing almost next to her. "Can I help you miss?" He asked politely, "Only you're looking a bit lost." He smiled gently, knowing that this young woman was probably grieving.  
  
She looked up at him, starting slightly as his voice broke through the haze of her grief-ridden mind. "Uh. yes, I'm looking for someone, uh. someone's grave." She said quietly, her cheeks turning red, embarrassed as she should know where it was.  
  
"Okay, no problem, what's the name?" He asked, looking around, as if he could spot it without knowing the name. "Tara, Tara Maclay." She said. "And do you know the date when she died?" He asked, again, this time walking around the headstone's looking for the name. "It's very recent. The headstone would only just have been put on." She gulped, biting back the tears. "Okay, the recent ones are over here, I'll help you look. I cut this grass everyday; if she's here I'll find her." "Thank you." She said meekly and followed him towards the newest looking headstones. She looked at the headstones as they past, absently noting the names; 'Elsie Jones', 'John Smith', 'Frederick Jefferson', all people who had died recently or who had been buried with their spouses. "Here we are miss." Said the man's voice. "If you look that way I'll look this way. Give me a yell if you find her and I'll do the same." She nodded and wandered off to the right, scanning the headstones. Seeing the dates made the tears well up again and she clung to the flowers in her hand harder. They were all so recent, and there were so many of them. 'Well,' She thought, 'This is the hellmouth after all.' She searched for a couple of minutes more before she stopped dead. There in front of her was the headstone. The one the gang had all picked out, a book with the pages open, her name, her birth date and when she died, and then there was the inscription. In loving memory of the girl who came into our life and made it so much better and left all too suddenly. Be in peace. "I.." Her voice cracked, she coughed and tried again. "I've found her." "Oh you have good." Came the tree cutter's voice from the other side of a tree. And then she heard his footsteps moving away from her. She knelt down next to the headstone and wiped a tear from her eye. She set about taking the wrapping of the flowers off, tearing at the paper, frustrated. After a few seconds of her mumbling to herself it came off and she picked them up.  
  
She set the flowers in the small metallic metal holder at the head of the grave. It was new and had never been used; it was still relatively clean as well. She sat back on her heels and sniffed gently.  
  
"Hello sweety." She mumbled. "I know it's not really you in there, I know you've gone off into whatever afterlife there might be but this is the closest I'm going to be able to get to you from now on." She sobbed, and wiped her face, the tears falling uninhibited. "You left me Tara." She whimpered, "Just after everything was so beautiful you left me." She sighed, "But I know it's not your fault, it's Warren's. And believe me he paid." She closed her eyes, trying to suppress the memory of her actions half a year ago. She took a deep breath and started again. "I'm all better now; I don't use magic unless I have to. I don't want to become like that again, I couldn't handle hurting my friends again." She picked at a few weeds. "We really miss you Tara, the whole gang. We really need you around. There's a big bad coming. The big bad. And it's getting scary. So much has happened, Spike has a soul now, though he's a bit crazy. Dawn's all grown up and capable of some mega research." She stood up as her knees began to ache. "It's lovely out here honey. I know you'd love it. The sun is shining, and there are birds and butterflies everywhere. It's like that day when you sang to me in the park, when there was music and back up dancers." She choked on the next words. "I l. I love you Tara, and I want you back. And I'd give anything in the world to have you back. I even tried after you died but. " She trailed off, "No use going down that path again." She wiped her drenched face and looked around, the birds were still singing and the chainsaw was buzzing in the distance again. And the sun still beat down on her head, illuminating everything around her. Nothing could disturb this peace. It was like the whole world had stopped in it's tracks within the iron railings and nothing could make it move apart from when you were ready for it to. As long as the sun was up this place was as safe as safe could be. And she was happy for that. She couldn't protect Tara when she was alive, but at least she was safe now.  
  
"I love you sweety, I can't imagine being without you. Yet I know I have to go on. But know. know that you are always with me and I'll never forget you.. I couldn't forget you ever. You were the best thing that ever happened to me." She put a hand into her pocket and took out a small quartz crystal and laid it within the stems of the flowers.  
  
"Be at peace my love, and know that we all miss you terribly. Be safe and be well."  
  
She stood for a minute looking at the beautiful white headstone, sparkling mystically in the bright sunlight. She smiled as she felt a touch on her cheek, Tara had heard her, she knew. Whether that touch was the breeze or actually the girl she loved she didn't like to think. Instead she turned around and made her way slowly along the path back to the gate, still solemn but her feet no longer dragging. Now Tara knew people remembered her. people were here to keep her grave and leave flowers there. She smiled lightly, laying a hand on the iron railings and looking once more over the view.  
  
Then she turned her back, knowing she'd return again and again, to make sure her love was kept well. 


End file.
